In a world where so many opt to lean back - to disengage, scroll the feed, consume and comment rather than create, plug into the playlist rather than connect - here's a rousing call to lean in to the work that matters. As a colleague, a leader, a writer and a reader, what does it mean to lean in, and how do we keep ourselves from leaning in so far that we end up falling over?

Hear from: 

• Professor Lucy Easthope on leaning in to disaster and difficult feelings
• Dr Deb Mashek on real engagement and connection in relationships
• Danni Haughan on connection and purpose in podcasting
• Liam Black on not leaning in so hard that you fall over
• Catherine Baker on sustainable performance as a leader
• Sarah Stein Lubrano on writing as a process of engagement with ideas
• Tim Clark on writing more purposefully 
• Beth Stallwood on finding the people and the strategies to help you lean in more effectively

An unmissable, unforgettable best bits episode. 

'You need a higher level of challenge and truth telling if you have set the bar high for yourself and your organization.'

Liam Black has become known as the 'gloves-off mentor' for his no-nonsense, straight-talking way of supporting social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven leaders. When the work you do matters so much to people's lives, it can be hard to see situations objectively, or to keep any kind of work/life balance. 

But capturing that voice in a book isn't easy. In this characteristically direct conversation, Liam shares the awfulness of writing - those wet Wednesday afternoons when the words die on the page - and the joy when the magic happens, the vulnerability of putting your book out into the world and the way it creates new connections when it's there. 

Probably the most truthful conversation about writing you'll hear all week. 

'We've all been missing a trick, because sport has been showing us day in, day out, not just how to improve, perform and achieve, but how to do so on a sustained basis, in a way that ensures that we can consistently deliver results when it matters.'

Catherine Baker qualified as a tennis coach before she qualified as a lawyer, and throughout her career has been fascinated by the interconnectedness of sporting and professional excellence. In her new book Staying the Distance, though, she argues that by drawing lessons for business only from the high performance we see, we're missing out on the reality that underpins that performance: what elite athletes do when noone's watching, the routines and rest that allow them to sustain that performance. 

It turns out this is also true for writing...

The Independent Publishers' Guild annual Spring Conference is one of the highlights of the year for the book industry. I seized the opportunity to speak to six movers and shakers in the world of books to put to them the questions that you'd have asked if you'd only had the chance. 

You're welcome. 

Discover: 

• How to find out EVERYTHING you could possibly want to know about getting published with Alysoun Owen, editor of the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook; 
• A better way to buy books online if you care about independent bookshops with Nicole Vanderbilt, Bookshop.org's UK MD; 
• Why TikTok is moving into the book-selling space and what you can do to promote your book there with Matthew Perry, Head of Books on the TikTok Shop; 
• How you can think ahead to make the most of translation opportunities as an author with Clare Hodder, rights consultant and Rights Manager for Practical Inspiration Publishing; and
• Things to keep in mind if you're planning to start a podcast, with Small Wardour's Carla Herbertson and Danni Haghan, formerly at Apple podcasts.